Villanova went unbeaten again in Big 5 play after overcoming its toughest obstacle in the series.
It didn't come from city rivals Temple, La Salle or Saint Joseph's.
It came from the Ivy League.
Daniel Ochefu scored 21 points and the No. 5 Wildcats pulled away down the stretch to beat pesky Penn 62-47 on Saturday night at the Palestra.
Dylan Ennis added 10 points and was the only other scorer in double figures for the Wildcats (17-1), who have won four in a row.
Antonio Woods scored 18 points to lead the Quakers (4-9), who have dropped four of their last five.
Villanova's narrowest margin of victory over a Big 5 team was 14 over La Salle on Dec. 3, but this game was closer for longer.
Taking a break from Big East play, where they have gone 4-1, the Wildcats only had a one-point lead against Penn with under 10 minutes to play before pulling away.
They have won 10 games in a row against the other Big 5 teams since losing to Temple on Dec. 5, 2012.
Villanova finished its non-conference schedule unbeaten for the first time in program history, going 13-0.
[SportsNetwork.com]
